2023 and Fortnite Chapter 4 got off to a big start! A new FNCS Major format has brought a better sense of progression to weekly tournaments, and the game has recovered from a controversial Season with what initially looks like a fun balance. After some seasons of unpredictability for competitive games, the Fortnite C4 S2 meta looks like it might make for the most entertaining tournaments yet.

Controversial items are gone, the map has a bit more going on, and one-shot kills are back with a game-changing new shotgun. There are some problems with Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 competitive though, including a glaring issue with servers that is already causing havoc for Arena grinders.

Source: Fortnite Game on Twitter

The new competitive balance for the season is still in its infancy, but it has addressed some of the biggest problems with Chapter 4 so far.

For a start, the Shockwave Hammer is gone, replaced by the Sword. The mobility of the item is still there, but it’s less devasting in an actual firefight. That’s especially the case when you consider the new Shotgun!

A new version of the pump is here and it brought back single pump kills. At least on the highest rarity, it destroys opponents. Having this kind of shotgun back instantly makes the new competitive meta one to take notice of, especially as Epic’s been pushing more RNG items lately.

The balance of weapons is definitely benefiting skill in the early part of the season. There’s some randomness with the swords still, but with the shotgun back there’s plenty of space for high-skill strategies this season. Even if the Snipers are not in comp right now.

The first issue is map disparity, a big issue in Chapter 4. One side of the map has been upgraded, but it’s made the left side pretty barren. Oathbound chests are gone, now the left is an area with very little metal and very little loot. While anyone dropping that side scavenges, the right side will feast. Mega City alone has more chest spawns than Slappy and Brutal Bastion put together. How many Duos hot-dropping the same POI will we see at Major 2?

The balance for the Fortnite C4 S2 meta is definitely a big improvement, but there are a few issues. The change to servers for North American players is already causing frustration. The new America Central region means those on the coast are facing increased ping. Players in Canada are faring even worse. All tournaments for the region are running on this server, at least that’s the plan. If your ping has gotten much higher it might be worth keeping an eye on Fortnite news in case Epic reverses course.

The upside to this is much more stacked lobbies. Not dividing players between two regions is going to concentrate more of the best Fortnite players in one lobby. It’s clearly frustrating for players, but this might lead to a more entertaining FNCS.

The bigger problems with Fortnite C4 S2 meta are going to be easily corrected by the time the big tournaments start up. That’s excluding any map complaints which probably won’t get fixed! It still feels like an improvement over the map situation last season, if not quite up to scratch with Chapter 3’s prematurely retired island. The unevenness of the current map must be frustrating for pros. It could make for some unique and entertaining games.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 esports have some issues on the horizon with servers. These could end up being a positive for spectators though. We’re set up for some of the most stacked tournaments we’ve seen. What’s more, they’re playing on a Fortnite C4 S2 meta that has a lot to get excited about. It’ll be particularly fun to see how the changes to loot density affects things at the FNCS, we could see many more contested drops and early-game action. Major 2 is shaping up to be much more interesting than the first.